Page 21 of Blood Heat

“Well, you can stay with me and⁠—”

“And we are not intruding on you either.”

“Nana, you two are never an intrusion. I love you.”

“We love you too, which is why we are going to a hotel,” she says.

“I actually found two Airbnbs. One is a duplex and the other is a small house but they are both fully furnished. That’s way better than a hotel.”

“Air what?” Papa asks with a frown.

“It’s just a rental that can be rented for a short or extended period of time. Both of these are on the northside and only five minutes from The Marketplace.”

“Are they clean?” Nana asks.

“They are,” I assure her with a grin. Nana does not play about cleanliness.

“Well, we can get a hotel tomorrow, go look at them, and decide. I gotta call the insurance too,” he says.

“I already did. The claim is started.”

“Thank you, Peanut,” he says.

“Lord, I have to go to the stores to get us some things,” Nana says.

“Shae and I took care of groceries and clothes, and if you need more, we’ll take care of it,” I tell her and she beams.

“I love you girls.”

“We love you more, Nana, and you too, Papa,” I say and he chuckles.

That small conversation lifts a huge weight off my shoulders and I’m able to actually eat and enjoy my croissant. Nana eats half of her dinner and her pie and Papa kills his food, dessert, and the rest of Nana’s. I guess it’s true what they say about vampire blood. It has medicinal and restorative powers because Papa looks and clearly feels like a new man. Without giving us a full account of what happened, he admitted that his leg got a little burned in the house and Noab gave him a drop of blood to heal him.

During the last hour of visitation, Shae shows up and we detail the plans to her. She’s as relieved and pleased as I am. She even volunteers to join us tomorrow when we look at the Airbnbs, so I schedule tours online for midafternoon around her lunch schedule. I’ve already contacted my supervisor and informed him that I’ll be off for a week. He thankfully understood.

It’s after eight when I finally leave Regional. Although I’m relieved that we have a set plan, I’m exhausted, more mentally than physically. I just want a few Oreos, my glass of milk, and another shower. Prayerfully, once I tell Langston what has happened, he’ll be considerate and give me space.

He’s home and in the living room, eating, and watching his usual business and finance shit on the television. He’s a loan officer at the bank and all things money consume him. He falls asleep watching these finance shows and I hate them.

“What time did you get off?” he asks when I place my tote on the small table by the door.

“I had to leave before noon because there was⁠—”

“Noon. E, shit, it’s damn near nine o’clock,” he grits, interrupting me. I hate when he does that.

“You’re going to feel like an ass when I tell you what happened. My grandparents’ house was on fire. Thank God, they were pulled out and are okay, but the house isn’t. They lost everything. Everything. I’ve been on go all day with them, checking on their insurance, and just making sure they have what they need as they try to adjust to what happened. It’s been the scariest day of my life. I could have lost them today and God knows I don’t know what I would have done.”

My emotions are back. Just talking about what happened stirs them and tears fall. I wipe them away as I speak but they flow steadily. At my revelation, he sits up, pauses the television, and looks at me. For a moment, I see traces of the old Langston, the one I originally fell for. Sadly, the moment fades as soon as he opens his damn mouth.

Instead of comforting me or asking for more details, he twists the arrow in my heart and says, “They aren’t staying here.”

“And why not?” I snap.

“Because, in case you forgot, you only pay the minor utilities in here. I carry us. I pay the rent and your car note.”

“That’s what you promised when we signed the lease. The same lease both of our names are on. And so what if you pay more money, this is still my damn condo, and if my grandparents need to stay here, they fucking will.”

“I’m not even about to go back and forth. I said what I said.” His smug ass turns back to the television, unmutes it, and picks his plate up, dismissing me like his word is fucking final.